Grenade.



E. H. STILL.

GRENADL.,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27.1915.

"Patented Feb. 22,1916.

l nte, """"`II ERNEST HENRY STILL, 0F LONDON, ENG-LAND.

GRENADE.

Specification of `Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, i916.

Application filed March 27, 1915. Serial No. 17,373.

To @ZZ whom z' may concern:

Be it known that'l, ERNEST HENRY STILL, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Hatton Garden, in the city of London,Englanch have invented Imof premature explosion due to the grenade beingdropped or other cause.

in a hand grenade according to, this invention the striker 1s normallyheld 1noper- `ative by ...leans which by the action of throwing thegrenades are caused to free the striker previous to the grenadebeingreleased from the hand.

rIhe accompanying drawing illustrates in longitudinal section such ahand grenade.

In the arrangementaccording to the iigure, the body l of the grenade,containing the chargev (not shown) and the detonator, has in line withthe detonator tube 2 a tubular shank '3 containing at its inner part ahas reference to hand gre-- time fuse 4. provided with the usualpercus.-

sion cap 5 or priming and at its outer part a striker 6 which is pressedforward by a spring 7 y and extends through a plug 8 in the end of theshank and is there connected to a sleeve 9 that passes over `the outerportionv of the shank and is formed as av hand grip.

In the example the shank is in two parts,

the inner partu containing the'time fuse 4 being screwed into theenlarged head of the detonator tube 2 and the outer part, containing thestriker 6, fitting on to the inner part and being fixed thereto byscrews 10 .as shown. The striker 6 and connected hand grip sleeve 9 areheld so that the nose of the striker is clear of the cap or priming 5 bya p spring or springs ll which engages or engage withthe inner end ofthe hand grip, or with the inner end of the striker, or with both, andis or are prevented from spring- Y ing out of engagement therewith bythe hand grip or the striker or both.

Conveniently the retaining springs l1 may be in the form of suitablyshaped leaf springs as shown and be attached by the screws l0 to theoutside of the shank at its inner part. their outer ends tending tospring outward into the positions shown in dotted lines; each spring isformed with `an outwardly projecting portion 11a against which the innerend of the hand grip sleeve E) abujts and beyond said projecting portionwith a part that is overlapped as shown bythe said sleeve and that hasan inwardly turned end 11b that entends thrpugh a hole l2 in the shankwall and engages the front of ythe p1ston-like head of the' striker.Theerward or-inner end portion of the sleeve is enlarged where itoverlaps the springs. The arrangement is such that on the hand gripsleeve 9-being seized and the grenade thereby swung in the act ofthrowing it, the force exerted by the body 1 will draw the shank forwardin relation to the hand grip sleeve 9 and striker 6 against the actionof the spring '7 the retaining spring or springs 1.1 will thenautomatically assume the. dotted position and disengage the hand gripsleeve and striker and, as soon as the hand grenade is released from thehand of the thrower, the striker lwill be forced forward byfits spring-Y against the cap or priming 5 which will ignite the time fuse.

A safety pin 13 may be passed transversely through holes in the handgrip sleeve and the shank between the cap and the striker so as toprevent accidental release ofI -owing to inertia. will act on vadetonator upon impact of the grenade. may be employed. The strikerbetween which and the detonator is interposed a light spring, may thenbe formed with a groove into which the ends l1b of the retaining springsll project while heldby the sleeve 9.l which overlaps them; in thisarrangement the striker is not connected to the forwardly spring-pressedhand-grip sleeve 9.

A grenade of the pendent on the act of throwing for release of the.striker is comparativelysafe to handle and its edective action is notliable to be affected by wind conditions as is the case with grenades inwhich release of the striker is effected during flight by vanes or thelike.

What I claim is l. A hand grenade comprising a charge kind vdescribedbeing de;

container, a striker movable in relationl 2. A hand grenade comprising acharge container, a tubular shank connected thereto, a striker Withinsuch shank, a hand grip sleeve and obstructing means controlled thereby,such means being adaptedto prevent movement of the striker While thehand grip sleeve is in one position and to release the striker when suchhand grip sleeve occupies another positionto which it movesautomatically in the act of throwing the grenade.

3. A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a tubular shankconnected thereto, a striker within such shank adapted to move towardthe charge container, a movable hand grip sleeve surrounding said shankand to which the striker is connected so as to move therewith, andobstructing means adapted to prevent movement of the striker toward thecharge container while the hand grip sleeve is in one position and untilafter the said sleeve has occupied another position to which it movesautomatically in the act of throwing the grenade.

4. A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a tubular shankconnected thereto, a striker within such shank, a spring urging thestriker toward the charge container, means adapted to obstruct thestriker and a hand grip sleeve having a portion adapted to normallyoverlap the striker Vobstructing means, the said hand grip sleeve beingadapted to recede to release the obstructing means previous to thegrenade being released from the hand.

A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a tubular shank piercedintermediate of its length and connected thereto, a striker within suchshank, a movable hand grip sleeve surrounding said shank and to whichthe striker is connected, ay spring urging the striker toward the chargecontainer and springs connected to the exterior of the tubular shank andhaving extremities protruding through the piercings in such shank, so asto engage thestriker, the said.

springs being normally held in engagement by the hand grip sleeve aportion whereof is adapted to -overlap the springs and recedes toliberate the springs previous to the grenade being released from thehand.

6. A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a striker movable inrelation thereto, a hand grip sleeve to which the striker is connected,means urging the striker and sleeve toward the charge container andspring means adapted to be overlapped by a portion of the sleeve so thatsuch means is normally held in a position to serve as an abutment toresist movement of the sleeve and striker toward the charge containerand from which position such spring means moves automatically uponrelative recession of the sleeve in the act of throwing the grenade,thereby permitting a subsequent unobstructed advance of the sleeve andstriker.

7. A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a striker movable inrelation thereto, a guide for such striker, a spring controllingmovement of the striker, a hand grip sleeve movable in relation to thegrenade and means adapted to be overlapped by a portion of the sleeve sothat such means is normally held in a position obstructing the strikerthe said overlapping portion automatically releasing the obstructingmeans in the act of throwing the grenade.

S. A hand grenade comprising a charge container, a tubular shank piercedintermediate of its length and connected thereto, a striker within suchshank, a movable hand grip sleeve surrounding said shank and to whichthe striker is connected, a spring urging the striker toward the chargecon tainer and springs connected to the exterior of the tubular shank,such springs having extremities protruding through the piercings in thesaid shank so as to enter the path of the striker and also havingshoulders' 'leaving portions adapted to be overlapped by a portion ofthe hand grip sleeve.

9. In a hand grenade, the combination with a charge container, of atubular and pierced shank forming an extension of the freely exposed topermit them to be held by hand while the overlapping sleeve device isbeing moved into engagement therewith.

Signed at London, England, this 19th day of lVIarch, 1915. 4

ERNEST HENRY STILL. lVitnesses H. D. JAMESON, A. NUTTING.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe .Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

